WEEK OF JULY 10, 2025
VOLUME 36| ISSUE 27
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New rules for free and reduced-price school meals Colorado updates rules for eligibility before the 2025-26 year begins BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
Footprints in a pond close to Willow Creek by County Roads 72 and 51 on May 6, 2025, near where Chevron’s Bishop well blew out in Galeton on April 6, 2025. Much of the work around the well involves protecting the creek and other waterways from liquids that spewed from the well for nearly five FILE PHOTO days.
Chevron faces accusations in ‘blowout’ just in terms of volumes released … but “There may be civil settlements for damWeld County families displaced not in terms of complexity, in terms of scale of age, there’s a possibility for other agencies impact to environmental services, as well to enforce their regulations, and of course, after ‘unprecedented’ incident as residents,” said Jeff Robbins, who has there’s the cost of the response and cleanBY CHASE WOODRUFF NEWSLINE COLORADO
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Colorado regulators have launched an enforcement action against oil giant Chevron for an April well “blowout” that caused evacuations and closures in a community in eastern Weld County. Officials with the Energy and Carbon Management Commission said that some residents remain displaced from their homes in tiny Galeton, an unincorporated town of 250 people located about 10 miles northeast of Greeley, nearly three months after the incident at Chevron’s Bishop well pad. The well failure caused a high-pressure flow of oil, gas and water to spew from the site for five days before emergency crews were able to bring it under control. With millions of gallons of fluid released, it’s believed to be one of the largest oil and gas spills in state history, and the resulting plume spread dangerous levels of toxic chemicals as far as two miles away, according to data from Colorado State University researchers. “I can say with certainty that this is significant and unprecedented during my tenure,
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served as chair of the five-member ECMC board of commissioners since 2020. A so-called notice of alleged violation issued by ECMC staff to Chevron subsidiary Noble Energy lists six different breaches of the agency’s rules, initiating what is likely to be a lengthy regulatory enforcement action. The notice accuses Chevron of violating water quality standards, breaking employee safety rules, “fail(ing) to engineer and operate all equipment within the manufacturer’s recommended specifications,” and more. An initial analysis completed by Chevron earlier this month identified the root cause of the incident as “improper assembly” of on-site equipment by a contractor. A total of 16 oil and gas wells were planned to be drilled on the Bishop site as part of a development plan approved by the ECMC in September 2022. As part of the enforcement process, ECMC staff will calculate penalties against Chevron that will then be adjudicated by commissioners. Greg Duranleau, the ECMC’s deputy director of operations, said the penalties were “one piece of the financial impacts this incident may have on Chevron.”
up,” Duranleau told commissioners during a special public hearing on Thursday. Four of 14 families that were evacuated from the Galeton area after the blowout remain displaced from their homes, according to Chevron. “We continue to actively work with the remaining residents on the next steps, including getting access to their properties to conduct assessments and cleaning,” the company’s website says. An extensive cleanup and remediation effort is underway, a process that Chevron estimates could take up to five years. Thousands of environmental samples have been taken across a 7-square-mile “assessment area” centered on the well site, staff told commissioners. “I am optimistic that Chevron will work with us through the enforcement process to bring a timely resolution,” ECMC Director Julie Murphy said in a statement. “And I am grateful to the many folks at Chevron who are working diligently to remediate the significant impacts of this incident.” This story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline. com.
Starting July 1, families in Jefferson, Adams and Weld counties can apply for free and reduced-price school meals for the upcoming 2025–26 school year. While many schools in the area now offer free meals through Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program, the state still requires all families to complete the household income form. And it’s not just about meals. The household income form helps determine how much state and federal funding a school district receives for programs that support low-income students, including Title I services, fee waivers and grant eligibility. State education officials encourage all families to complete the application, regardless of whether their child attends a school that offers universal free meals. “When families fill out this application, they help unlock essential funding that supports students and schools across Colorado,” said Education Commissioner Susana Córdova. “Strong participation from families makes a real difference.” Families should apply if they have experienced a recent drop in income, receive SNAP, TANF or Medicaid, have children in foster care or Head Start or face housing instability. Submitting the form can have a significant impact, even in schools that provide meals to all students. How to apply
Families can find applications online — at www.cde.state.co.us./ nutrition/determine-programeligibility — or through their local school. Families only need to complete one application per household. SEE SCHOOL MEALS, P12
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